In 1994, Maya Selva, owner and founder of Maya Selva cigars, met with Nestor Placenscia, the well-known tobacco grower and cigar maker. During their meetings, they came up with exacting specifications and quality control for Maya’s cigar brand.
The following year, Maya launched the Flor de Selva line of cigars in France. From that beginning, Maya Selva now oversees a corporate headquarters in central Paris and a warehouse on the outskirts of the city which manages distribution in Europe. Maya Selva also has tobacco plantations and factories in Honduras and Nicaragua and a U.S. distribution center in Hollywood, Florida.
The specifics
The Flor de Selva Classic line is available in 14 vitolas. They have a very simple cream colored band with a greenish inked design. They also have a red foot band with the Maya Selva logo. It looks like there was a redesign of the labels because my two samples looked different. For this review, I smoked the Tempo (6×60) and the Robusto (4.5×50).
The experience
Appearance
The Flor de Selva Classic blend is a Honduran puro. The wrapper is a Claro / Connecticut shade, with a few minor veins. There is a faint woody aroma coming from the wrapper. The double cap is a little rough looking. The cigar has a finished foot and I could smell hints of hay from it.
Pre-light
The cigar is firm to the touch and of average weight. The pre-light draw has a slight firmness to it and I could pick out some faint woodiness on the draw.
Combustion
During the smoking session, the cigar burned evenly with a thick dark carbon ring. The tight, firm ash was black and gray in color and would last for about an inch and a half before I would roll it off.
The smoke volume was a little weak at first but soon came back to an average amount.
1st third
The flavor profile starts off with mild tobacco flavors on the palate and a very mild retrohale.
2nd third
In the second third, the spiciness of the retrohale increases and I picked up on a slightly bitter, woody flavor with a long finish.
Final third
The final third finishes just like the second with no real differences.
[su_box title=”Summary” style=”glass” box_color=”#e1dddd”]Overall, I would consider the Flor de Selva Classic to be a mild to medium morning cigar.
My final score for this cigar is an 87.[/su_box]